The present invention relates to faecal management devices for babies, children or adults, to be adhesively attached in a releasable manner to the perianal area of the wearer, said devices being particularly easy to put in place and particularly easy to detach after use.
Faecal management devices are known articles of manufacture that are designed to be worn principally by incontinence sufferers and in particular by bedridden patients. Such faecal management devices are attached to the perianal area of the wearer and are intended to entrap and immediately contain faecal material and other bodily discharges.
Such devices as they are mostly known today are constituted of a relatively long and narrow tube, at one extremity of which is positioned the aperture and the attachment device, which can be adhesive. Such bags are disclosed in, e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 3,577,989.
A problem naturally associated with these devices is their attachment to the human body. The approach which is mostly used in the field is to provide the device with an adhesive flange, which will stick to the perianal area. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,522,807 and 3,734,096 disclose faecal receptacles having an adhesive flange surrounding the aperture in the device, for attachment to the body of the patient in nursing or medical applications; said flange contains a plurality of tabs extending outwardly from the aperture and said tabs are covered with adhesive in the same manner as the rest of the flange and thus are designed to serve as adhering aids, and must be covered by a release means before use of the receptacles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,397 addresses the problem of how to more conveniently remove the release paper which typically covers the adhesive parts of the faecal management device. Disclosed is a single tab on the flange and a corresponding single tab on the release paper, provided to help in peeling the release paper off the flange. The lobe of the flange is also thought to be of help when detaching the device. The provision of only one lobe may be unsatisfactory both for the detachment of the release paper and for the removal of the device considering the typical conditions under which such a device is handled. A caretaker may, for example, when dealing with a bedridden patient, have only one hand available for the application of the device, or for detachment find the patient lying in an undesirable position, in which the single lobe may not be accessible.
In GB-A-2, 116,849, it was attempted to provide an adhesive faecal incontinence device which, among other properties, was easier to put in place on the patient. The solution brought up by GB-A-2, 116,849 is, however, quite complex, involving individually removable sections of the release layer covering the adhesive layer on the flange surrounding the aperture, said sections having to be removed in a predetermined sequence in order to ensure optimum adherence.
Besides and in connection with optimum adherence, the proper placement of the device is a key issue in the field of faecal management devices. Total or substantial misplacement of the device will lead to a severe misfunctioning, in particular incomplete collection of faeces and leaking. If the aperture of the faecal management device is not sufficiently in registry with the anal opening, substantial pressure, in particular on the flanges of the device, can build up in the defecation process. Such substantial pressure can lead to the detachment of the adhesively secured device, obviously entailing the most unwanted consequences.
If the misplacement of the device is recognized before use, the placement of the device is normally corrected, typically by the carer. The necessary detachment and reattachment of the device means an additional stress on the affected areas of skin of the wearer. Many wearers, who make use of faecal management devices have a sensitive skin due to their age, whether very old or very young, and furthermore sometimes also suffer from skin irritations. Proper placement of the device in the first place is therefore highly desirable.
The faecal management devices which are disclosed in the mentioned prior art are normally handled and placed onto the skin of the wearer by using the flange itself. One of the first necessary handling steps is to remove the release paper from the adhesive surface of the flange. When then placing the device, the caretaker will normally touch the adhesive area of the flange with the fingers and leave finger marks. Such marks will reduce the adhesive force of the affected areas, if dirt is deposited from the fingers or if an adhesive is used, which tends to adhere less on a second contact with a surface.
Furthermore, during application of the faecal management device to the wearer by holding the flange, pressure typically needs to be exercised upon the flange. However, as a result the flange may suffer deformation, such deformation leading to a poorer performance of the device, in particular to a poorer adhesion, discomfort or possibly leaking of the device.
In Kokai Patent Application No. HEI8 (1996) 117 261, an external accessory is described to help put the adhesive part of the disclosed diaper in place. Such a tool may be a help in the placement of such an incontinence product when compared to the placement without any aide. However, the successful use of such tool will require some training, in particular if the tool, as it seems to be the case here, is not specifically designed for its purpose.
Yet another problem associated with faecal management devices is their handling after detachment. Since they regularly are a source of malador and possibly of leakage, the caretaker will typically try and seal the bag for disposal, e.g. by sticking opposite parts of the adhesive flange together. In doing so the caretaker might face the problem of unwanted sticking of the fingers onto the adhesive flange or between two parts of the adhesive flange. Also, the caretaker might not want to touch the adhesive parts of the flange, since they get easily soiled due to their adhesive nature.
In attempting to overcome all the aforementioned problems relating to the prior art, it has now been found that adhesive faecal management devices can be designed which have excellent ease of placement properties, through the use of a simple, but efficient device. The same design does not only greatly help in placing the device but also assists in detachment and handling after detachment.
This invention relates to a faecal management device (10) comprising a bag (11) and a flange (12). The flange (12) comprises adhesive used to attach the device to the perianal area of the wearer. The invention resides principally in the provision of at least two non-adhesive lobes, i.e. one or more placement lobes (13) or one or more detachment lobes (14) or a combination thereof, on the flange (12). Said lobes (13) (14) can be used by a caretaker to handle the device with e.g. thumb and forefinger. Said lobes (13)/(14) are also useful for the detachment of the device and as a help in the peeling off of the release paper.